Week 402

 Sun, Apr 10, 2022 thru Sat, Apr 16, 2022

Sun, Apr 10, 2022

Started working on the building under construction in downtown Chicago.

I made some great progress...

This is the model I'm going to try to
finish tonight.

First Step: Secure the walls to the base.

Next step: Secure the cross beams connecting the 
two walls

The shipment has arrived and the 2nd floor
beams have been secured.

Birds eye view of the truck with the beams and the
finished 2nd floor beams in place

Next step: Secure 3rd floor beams

3rd floor beams in place.

Finally, ceiling beams secured and in place.

Now for the sidewalk canopy for pedestrian safety.
This picture shows the original color.

I tried painting the structure brown.
I didn't like it.

Then I tried a metallic gray, but it was too shiny.

Finally I painted the final coat a flat gray
and that's just right.

Perfect!

Now to put the structure in place to see how it fits.

Adding the roof.

Adding the ID and directive banners.

Tomorrow I will add the lights to the roof and build the floors and add lights to those too.

Mon, Apr 11, 2022

Train Day!

w/Rob Fair 6-8pm 2 hrs.

Rob Fair begins the evening preparing to install
lighting on the ceiling of the safety sidewalk covering

Checking the wire entry and lifting Chicago down-
town to get to the wiring under the city.

Whoa! So that's what it looks like under the streets?

And this is what it looks like from the top

Now it's time to test the lights that will illuminate
the four floors under construction.

Styrene sheets with cut outs for the corner beams.

Rob installing the lights to the bottom of the floors

Tue, Apr 12, 2022

Special Guests

Lissette & Josiah Crockett
We got the track laid, and cars on the track and even
the transformer ready, but then, it was time for dinner.

Wed, Apr 13, 2022

More work on the Chicago "skyscraper"

I'm going to add another level on the "skyscraper".
Cutting off the section I need is the first step.

Next step is to add the part I cut off to the existing
structure

I've added both side walls, now to add the cross beams

One more cross beam to go...

Hard to capture in a picture, so how about a video?

Duration: 00:00:30 sec.

Now to work on the floors.

Temporarily installed.

Another perspective.

Final perspective.

More tomorrow...

Thu, Apr 14, 2022

Some more work on the Chicago Skyscraper Under Construction...

Tonight, I'm going to solder the light leads to the 
copper bars.

Taping the ends so I can solder in place.

Soldering is complete.

Testing two of the bulbs.
Can you see which ones
are lit up?

Now to paint the floors.

Drilling the holes for the wiring.

Preparing the lead wires to attach the feeder wires.

Inserting the "conduit" for the wires to flow from
floor to floor. More tomorrow...

Fri, Apr 15, 2022

More work on the Chicago "skyscraper" under construction

I was up early and got some work done...

Connecting feeder wires to the main power source.
With FLASH

without FLASH

My plan is to loop a wire between floors and then
connect those wires to these feeder wires attached
to the copper strips.

Later today, I had a...

Special Guest

Yep, that's my grandson, Charlie!
Ready to play trains!

Video of Charlie in action!

Duration: 00:00:27 sec.

Sat, Apr 16, 2022

Up early again to work on the RR

My goal is to finish the lighting on the Chicago Skyscraper Under Construction

Floors installed with rough wiring in place

Power source comes from the ground floor and 
continues to up through the remaining floors via
wire "jumpers"

Wires cut to length

Ends snipped

Twisted

Soldered

Capped
DONE!

A 180 degree video of the project

Duration: 00:00:30 sec.

What do you think?

Later in the morning, I had a Special Guest stop by...

My friend, Jim Naatz.

Finally, gluing down the roof and securing the corner.

Daylight picture, no lights.

Night life, with lights.

Now, just one more thing to do to finish this project:

Install the safety sides for each floor.

Not sure, yet, how I will accomplish this part.

More to come...